Hello Empyreans!

Carl Here and I'm here to shed some light on something that is putting more unwanted pounds on you faster than eating Moose Tracks ice cream smashed between 2 chocolate chip cookies (oh yea...) and that my friends, is STRESS.

Lets Go Back in Time Real Quick...

In the prehistoric ages (like cavemen era), there were only 2 known MAJOR stresses that the human body experienced and they were...

1. Don't get eaten by animals higher than you on the food chain.

Survival makes the body move.

2. Hunt enough animals lower than you on the food chain to survive long winters.

And Fast Forward...

Now, in modern society, we probably experience all different kinds of stresses every minute of everyday. If you live in America, you know that this is true. The same feelings of stress are now triggered by all different kinds of stress now!

For example, being stuck in traffic and the thought of being late for work, children and working your butt off to pay (a yearly increasing) college tuition, when you look at yourself in the mirror and wondering if you're in control of your health, paying rent or a mortgage, trying to be appreciated or desired, and last but not least trying to distress yourself for the summer and you find yourself working just as hard! The list can go on forever but when do you ever catch a break nowadays!

The summer begs lazy days and trying to unwind. The reality is that we're working, balancing family obligation,s and trying to take vacations – which seem almost non-existent in corporate America. Some may even replaced the term "work-life balance" with "work-life integration." Their thinking? There is no more balance. We are working all the time, whether if its at the office or at the beach.

Its hard to unplug nowadays!

The Magical Power of Visualization

The most effective and powerful communicators and leaders know how to decompress and find ways to release tension. These are some very simple yet incredibly impactful tips which can be applied to a host of business and life situations.

Let's say you're trying to leave on a seven-day vacation with your family. But at the office there are reports to be completed, clients to be updated, 200 emails to answer, and four more meetings than there are hours left in the day. Your to-do list is longer than your arm.

Stop and Try This

Close your eyes, take two deep breaths and imagine you are at the beach. Hear the surf, and feel the sand between your toes and the sun on your skin. Why the beach? The warmth of the sun, the white noise of the waves, the smell of the surf, the feel of sand between your toes. In other words, four of your five senses will become involved in this imaginary excursion. (If you want all five, imagine eating an orange, or something else juicy and delicious.)

Whoosh...

Why do this? If you can truly put yourself in this imaginary "play" – your mindset will shift and hopefully put you in a different, less tense state. By enlivening the five senses, by shifting focus, by creating a mental image that engages the mental "body" summer vacation will come early.

Mind Over Matter

The ability to alter your mind to minimize the internal feelings of stress is a powerful tool for business and life. Recent studies have shown that it is not stress itself that is damaging to our health, but our opinion about stress. Those who think stress is bad have increased restriction in their blood vessels, which is indeed damaging over the long haul. But those who see stress as a part of life, a welcome challenge, nothing to be worried about, a strength or character booster seem to suffer far fewer physical effects.

We know so little about the impact of the mind on the body. I recall reading about a study years ago where a smell was associated with the delivery of a pain-reducing drug. Later, those who had associated the smell with the drug merely needed to smell the same scent for their pain to be reduced. I do not know, but have often wondered if perhaps they reached the point where just imagining the smell had the same effect.

Bring Summer, Wherever, Whenever

What I do know is we all tend to get stuck in the same mental ruts as we do physical ones. We think the same tired, and perhaps stress-inducing, thoughts over and over, and rarely give ourselves the time and space to play with our thoughts in the same way. For example, we'll give ourselves a break from routine by playing a sport. Why not?

Why not bring summer into winter? Why not spend a few solitary moments imagining sitting under your favorite tree, feeling a breeze, listening to birds and smelling the grass? Why not bring summer vacation a few days early? What might happen? You may just find that by allowing yourself a few moments of imaginary play, when you do reenter the stress of work and deadlines and meetings, they're not nearly as onerous as they seemed before.

Other Ways to Filter Stress

Exercising and deep sleep has been shown to filter stress hormones that have been built up through a long day and releases feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.

Sleep is the only time our bodies has to recharge the batteries. If were are always running low on energy, we're always stressed about being tired. Try your hardest to get more sleep!

We Hate Stress!

Stress stinks, Empyrea works.

Our workouts get pretty intense but the best part about them is that anyone can do them. Whether its your first time or you're just simply looking to take your workout to the next level. All of our exercises are modifiable for all fitness levels! Ask our clients!